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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

We have been amping up for a kitchen update for quite awhile now, and for me, it really can't come fast enough. However, the hubs and I agreed that we really needed other spaces in our home organized and buttoned up before we take on the giant renovation. Ack! Grown up decisions aren't always the most fun.

But that doesn't mean we can't slowly start chipping away at a few of the kitchen renovation "to do" list items. You know, to hold me over until the big day arrives. So, the hubs and I created a design plan, agreeing on kitchen plans and finishes. Although I am a bit hesitant to share those initial ideas to the giant www, because the second I do at least ten things will change; those plans are coming up in another post.

What our current plans will show is neutral walls, neutral counters and neutral cabinets. I am already mourning the future loss of the green walls in our living room... but we have quite a few reasons to be heading in the direction we are. One reason is because I change my mind every other second, so a neutral base accommodates that lifestyle and those indecisive tendencies. It also allows me to enjoy my love of color through accessories which are much easier to change than cabinets and counters.

So, since all permanent fixtures in our home may be a little less bold and exciting, other less permanent pieces won't be. First up, the hutch.

As we have been purging our storage areas, we have been taking photos and preparing listings of items to sell on Craigslist. Knowing our ultimate plans for our kitchen was to add additional entertaining storage, I decided to list our previous sideboard on Craigslist as well. We had been trying to find a hutch that would fit the top of the piece for the past few years and kept coming up short. So, our new solution was to sell it and replace it with another second hand piece, also found on Craigslist, which did include a hutch. Our piece sold in a matter of minutes, and here is what we found to replace it.

Although it looks really beautiful in the photo above, once we pulled it inside, the color of the wood totally is not our personal style.

And although the amount of storage it offered was perfect, it came without any shelves on the outer sides, which is why it was so steeply discounted. Nothing we couldn't tackle ourselves....

So, more about our future kitchen plans will justify my painting this piece. We have a solid wood table which I will NEVER paint. We are planning on putting in wood floors, and also adding in some butcher block counter. Oh, and our adjoining living room is calling out for a few wood finishes as well. So, although some may decide to no longer call me a friend for taking a paint brush to this particular piece of furniture, it just makes sense for us.

I started out by separating the top and bottom pieces, and pulling in a drop cloth. And although you can't tell in the photo above, the primer I applied was slightly tinted, since I was painting over such a dark piece of furniture. For this project, I went to my local Sherwin Williams store and they provided me with a primer they recommended for this specific project, which was a multi-purpose latex stain blocking primer. One thin coat was enough, and thank goodness because by the time the entire piece and doors were done, I was already four hours invested.

I let the primer cure for a day, and then put on my first coat of paint, which was also Sherwin Williams in the color Cay. I selected the color by looking at a few of my favorite accessories, which served as color inspiration, and using a paint swatch book to match things up. Our paint pro recommended trying out an all surface enamel, which creates a hard, durable and chip resistant finish.

Um no. Another four hours later and the first coat was on and dry and me no likey. I actually painted it at night under our chandelier lighting, went to bed, and woke up silly giddy excited to see it. And there is was in beautiful natural light and I was all like, "oh no you didn't" to myself. It was very baby blue. And wrong.

Back to the swatch book for take two.

The next color I tried was Sherwin Williams Reflecting Pool. And I loved it. In fact I loved it so much, that I painted the entire piece with it. Inside and out. Twice. Yep, two more four hour coats. And then something still wasn't right. Seriously?!

After looking at it and looking at it some more, the hubs and I decided that the inside needed to be white. So, back I went with a flat white paint, which took not one, not two, not three... but FOUR coats to cover.

Here she is after a few more coats of the white.

As you can see, we used painters tape to ensure we had crisp edges where the tealy blue and white intersected.

The existing hinges were a dark brown, so I gave them a little gold leaf Rub-n-Buff action so they would match the new hardware.

I did the same to the lights at the top. We just cut out a piece of paper and taped it up around the light. Worked like a charm.

In the end, all of the late nights {this girl gets her painting on after the kiddos go to bed} and color changes and sanding and painting and sanding and painting some more, were totally worth it.

Oh! And the painting didn't stop at the cabinet! As you can see, I finally painted the adjoining wall the same Glidden Smooth Stone color that is part of the stripes. SO much better.

The piece originally came with glass shelves, and only two for the center, the ends were missing completely. We were able to make our own replacement shelves out of pre-finished white melamine board, which we cut down to size and added iron-on edging.

Because we previously stored our wine glasses on this side of the room, and wanted to expand on that to create an entire "entertaining station", we installed a new wine glass holder to the underside of the lower shelf.

For the hardware, I thought I would stay consistent with a few of the other spaces throughout our home and went with a simple gold knob from the Martha Stewart line at Home Depot.

Here you can see how the upper side doors work. They don't actually open, they slide!

I looooooooove her! So bright and happy which is exactly what we want our home to be.

Now that this piece is deemed finished, my most favorite part of the process is loading it back up! You can bet that the second I hit the publish post button, I will be working to finish off this project for the final reveal.

But until then, how about a side by side before and after of the progress so far?

Literally, night and day! Ha!

I think in the end, I spent about 24 hours total painting and
finishing this giant piece, which definitely is the most time I have
ever invested in any furniture painting project so far. But again, soooooo worth it. And this is another one of those, "if at first you don't succeed, try try again" stories, which I love. Oh, and I also learned that it is a good idea to do a Google image search of the color you plan on going with, to see it live in spaces ahead of time. If I would have done that with the first color I selected, I would have realized that it wasn't right for me,before even investing in the time or the paint color.

I know our way of working on projects around here doesn't always go in order, or "make sense", but in the end, it always seems to work out. The past week and a half, B has been sheetrocking and finishing under the stairs and building storage in our garage, so this was my way of staying out of the way and still getting something accomplished at the same time. And now that he is just finishing up with that awesomeness in our storage areas, I can pop in with an update on those spaces again soon also.

So, what do you think? I wish I could invite you all over too see and caress the new cabinet in person. The brightness and happiness it puts off is insane amazing. Such a fun difference.

112 comments:

Jen, it looks fabulous! I am dying to paint all my bedroom furniture, but I just now what an enormous task it will be! I'm sure one of these long cold Wisconsin days I will get to it! Great work, I can't wait to see the rest!

You've done it again! That piece is gorgeous! I would've never thought to paint the inside white, but it gives it a custom, finished look. And, painting the wall the same color as one of the stripes was the finishing touch that the room needed.

Hi Pamela! I just go to Google.com and type in the keyword I wish to search and hit enter. When the search results appear, there is a link at the top of the page that allows you to switch the search to image based. By doing that, it will display all images under your keywords. :)

Jen, this looks amazing! I LOVE it soooo much better painted this cheerful color than the wood. I also love the wall painted to match the stripes. I think it really looks great. Can't wait to see the hutch all accessorized :-)

Hi Jen, I'm loving the finished product! I was waiting to see this as I follow you on Instagram. I applaud you in repainting this piece so many time but it looks great!!!! I'm loving the blue too! We are also planning a big kitchen reno for next year so I've been doing little things off the list because I cannot wait for the reno. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Absolutely beautiful! I love the color with the white inside. I have a wood tone piece very similar to your before photo and now I want to paint it ... But, it matches the table, 6 chairs, and wine cabinet. As much as I'd love to brighten up my dining room, and the thought of breaking up the set is fine, I don't know if I feel like tackling that much! Maybe I should just paint the walls. Can't wait to see the finished project!

love lovity love it! i totally would have painted it too. Actually i have craigslist-buffet waiting to be painted at this moment. :-) Thanks for the color inspiration! can't wait to see the new kitchen ;-)

Hi Jan! A light sanding with a fine sandpaper/sanding block is still recommended, but super simple. But yes, primer will also do the trick. Not only does it stain block, but it also gives the paint something to stick to for better coverage.

I know you probably already have a plan in place for the living room color, but I am here to say: the right green IS a neutral! In our old place, we painted the gigantic living room/dining room area "dancing green" from Sherwin Williams. It added warmth to the cavernous area while allowing me to put whatever colors I wanted with it. And I think I pretty much used every single color in my decorating.

I agree Stacey! I think that almost any color can act as a neutral if done right. Once we remove the large wall between the living room and kitchen, the space will double in size, so I am hoping that I can find a color that I will never want to paint over or change again, since it will become such a large project. Plus, being a space that will function as a living room, dining room and kitchen, a more simple neutral will offer us so much more flexibility and help ensure that all three areas feel cohesive. I have intentions of bringing my happy bold colors into other rooms in our home, and even through furniture and accessories. :)

I love the original baby blue in the pictures! I appreciate that the teal is more "you" but now I want to paint something that first shade of blue!

Are there drawbacks to using that many coats of paint on furniture like this? Does it start to look "blobby" or anything? I painted some kitchen table legs once and they looked fine from afar but close up I wasn't happy with the look. I also tried to paint over an already-painted tiny hutch once and it looked awful (not super smooth and kind of blobby in the detailed areas). I'm now trying to remove 4 coats of paint and start over. If you wanted to get into the nitty-gritty details of how you go about painting furniture sometime, I'd read the crap out of that post because your projects come out so great!

I have learned more and more about painting furniture, with each project I take on. A few tips that helped with this one, to ensure I still maintained a nice, smooth finish in the end:

I lightly sanded in-between each coat with a find grit paper. I just sanded down any areas that had small dust particles or imperfections in the paint.

The quality of the paint helps tremendously! I noticed a huge difference using Sherwin Williams paints in this project, over the typical Glidden and Behr paints I typically use. In fact, the colored paint that I used was Sherwin Williams, but the white inside was Behr. The Sherwin Williams covered better and didn't get as goopy or drippy.

I did nice, thin coats and really took my time. I only used a brush to edge out, and used a foam roller for the larger smooth surfaces. The foam roller really does a nice job to prevent brush marks and even coverage.

And last but not least, just like a better quality paint helps, a better quality brush does as well. The bristles are softer and they last longer.

Hope that helps but feel free to let me know if you have any other questions.

When I lightly sanded between coat, the paint came off and I can see the wood underneath the paint again. Is this normal? I was sanding super lightly with a 320 sandpaper.When I see that it took off some paint I stop sanding between coat as I am afraid it will take even more paint off.

Are you planning to do a tutorial on this? I have a very similar piece that I want to paint, but I don't even know where to begin. I would LOVE to hear your whole process including specifics on the products (I didn't even know there was such thing as a foam roller, let alone what it should be used for!). It turned out awesome by the way... the color is perfect!

This is absolutely gorgeous Jen!!! Wow!! It looks amazing. You are right about the white in there too. I love the new wall color on the patio door wall. Makes it so cohesive. And if you are serious and would love someone to come fuss over all of your hard work, I would love to. I am just in awe of your projects. It would be so neat to see it all in person. I am just down the road. ;) If you would like some help on anything, I am pretty handy, and good with projects too. I can earn my keep, so to speak. :)

O.M.G..I am in LOVE with that cabinet, the color and the style! What a beautiful job you did. I am painting some of my furniture soon...I'm soooo scared yikes...but seeing projects like this get me excited so thank you for sharing! Now I need to check Craigs List (I'm a CL virgin lol) and see if I can find some goodies too! BTW...can I ask what kind of roller and brushes you used for such a smooth finish?hugz,Suzanne

When painting furniture, I prefer super smooth foam rollers for solid surfaces and the Wooster Pro brush for the edges and cracks: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Wooster-Pro-3-in-Nylon-Polyester-Flat-Brush-0H21140030/203193284#.UoPg4Y0ococ. Both can be found at Home Improvement stores.

I just love your style!!! The new hutch is awesome-sauce!!! I'm going to tackle a TV hutch that used to hold our old tube TV. I;m currently using it as a photo album/memory storage. I'm painting it black with distressed edges. Can't wait to get-her-done!

I am sure you posted this somewhere else, but can you tell me what the wall color stripes are?LOVE LOVE the finished hutch! Have been planning on doing my own a teal color and you have confirmed it! Thanks!

The final color is great! Someday I hope to have the courage to paint an entire bedroom set that I've had since I was 2 (a desk, bookcase, dresser, nightstand, and headboard). It just feels wrong to take a brush to solid oak, but I guess if it extends the life of the furniture which I've already gotten 30 years out of, then it just makes sense.

I'm surprised you didn't use the gold rub and buff on the wine glass holder. I like the idea of adding it to the shelf as part of your entertaining station!

Yes! Totally agree that sometimes paint can give old pieces new life and also extend them to make them feel more current. :)

I thought about making the wine glass holder gold, and still might. Wanted to see it all put together first. Plus, I am really into mixing and matching metals because I think it gives it a bit more of a "created over time" feeling. Only time will tell! :)

OMG...Love!! I so don't have your patience. Not sure I could have spent that much time. Btw...the new wall color looks great!! I, too, like the neutral setting with pops of color, because I like to change things out. My neighbor is always on my to paint! But I like my SW Macademia walls!! My kids' rooms are nice and colorful! However once our basement is done and I move sons down there, I may paint their rooms neutral too and pop some colors!!

I LOVEY LOVEY LOVEY!!! I wish I could come over and see it too! I have a teal console table in my house, and I want to paint it this color! GORGEOUS! I can't wait for your kitchen remodel. I am busting at the seams, waiting for it!!! xo, Amber

It turned out so beautiful! I would LOVE to incorporate some blues into my home décor, but an unfortunate choice of NOT neutral furniture (sage and cranberry colors) has completely prevented it so far. As far as painting the wood - I hear ya! I love wood tones, but too much just feels so dark and depressing! Can't wait to see the final reveal with all of the styling!Christie B.

your Hutch came out beautiful. I am in the process of starting one myself which I have never done, I am also very new to painting furniture. I am learning as I go and can see that I am getting better and better but still learning. My question is how did you paint inside of the bottom part were the cubby part is. I think if I did that I would not be able to get the smooth finish that you have. Please tell me how you did it.Thank youDebbie

Great question Debbie! That part was tricky and awful. The first attempt and my hand was completely covered in paint. :) I started by using my brush from back to front, basically edging out the entire inside. I use a short handled brush which made it easier to fit inside the slanted edges. I followed up with a small foam roller. After a few coats, it all seemed to be covered pretty well.

Love this!!! Maybe an odd question...but do you have measurements of your dining room space? Our house is set up very similar to yours and I would also LOVE to have a gorgeous hutch, but I'm trying to decide if we have the space for something that scale. Just wondering how big the floor plan of your dining room is...and how much room your table/chairs take up..and then the size of that gorgeous hutch! (maybe you have this info somewhere on your blog already.......or maybe you think I'm crazy to ask you to measure your living space! ha!!)

Yes! Painting with puppies can be challenging and even disastrous {see this post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-i-learned-this-weekend.html}

For this project, I vacuumed the area first and then we blocked that area from them while we painted. A few small pieces of hair and dust did end up in the paint anyway, which I lightly sanded and touched up with a small brush after.

We painted a hutch in the Reflecting Pool when we first got married - almost 15 years ago! I LOVE it and, although it has moved places in the house a few times, it is still one of my favorite pieces! :) Enjoy!

They actually came installed that way, it was one of the reasons I fell in love with this particular piece of furniture. There may be tutorials on Pinterest or the great www for converting, adding a track system.

I always lightly sand just to ensure the piece is smooth yet abrasive enough to grab the primer and paint. This piece was in pretty good shape, so it didn't take much, but some older pieces may need a little more effort. xoxo!

Making something new out of old things has become my hobby recently. As I understood that not always I have money to buy new things I decided that I can repair them and I should say that in some cases they look even better than new ones.

When I lightly sanded between coat, the paint came off and I can see the wood underneath the paint again. Is this normal? I was sanding super lightly with a 320 sandpaper.When I see that it took off some paint I stop sanding between coat as I am afraid it will take even more paint off.

That is normal, it occasionally happens to me as well. But I also find that the paint seems to re-cover those areas just fine {it is usually just small spots here and there}. I like to sand areas that have small imperfections and really lightly go over and brush or roller marks. xoxo!

This is beautiful Jen! I haven't ever used the enamel pain your paint pro recommended though I have painted quite a few pieces of furniture. I too love SW paints...did you like the enamel better than a regular paint? And with the enamel do you have to clear coat it? I think you have inspired me to paint my hutch that I was going to craigslist but think I may turn into a bookcase. :) Let me know what you thought of the paint!Becky

I fell in love with the enamel paint! But after I got started, I realized it was a little smelly, so I had to open all windows wide during these nice cold weather months. Otherwise, the paint itself was amazing and seems really strong already. I do not plan to add a clear coat.

I Too Have Decided To Go Neutral In My New Home So That I Can Change Up Color Palettes Easily. But In My Living Room I Put A Huge Beige/Brown Sectional That We Found On Craigslist So I Painted The Walls InThIs Room A Beautiful Teal Color From Martha Stewart Called HostA - It Goes With So Many Other Colors! I Also Love The Foam Roller But Always Look For The "High Density" One.

Oh my gosh she is gorgeous!!! I have a hutch that was my grandmother's that I am dying to paint, but my family keeps saying "you can't paint that!" Apparently, it's rose wood and "people pay good money for that", but she is sitting in our off site storage unit as it doesn't go with any of our home decor. The color you picked would be PERFECT for her and our home. I may have to risk being disowned and just go for it!

Hi Jen! I know this is an older post so I hope you get this. I bought the Anthropolgie pulls and wonder if the metal of them match up to your other knobs? Or did you use the gold Leaf on them to make them match? Thanks

Love your blog! Thank God I stumbled on to it. I have a small bureau and I want to paint it but I've never painted anything ever before and don't know if I can really do it but your project gives me hope especially the fact that I can use a roller not just a brush :D might save me some time n a whole lot of strokes.

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